The Trump administration is taking another major step in its push to eradicate left-wing diversity, equity, and inclusions programming from institutions of higher education.
The Department of Education announced Friday it is launching investigations into 45 universities that maintain racially exclusionary policies tied to graduate programs and six universities that sponsor race-based scholarships. One university is also being investigated for allegedly segregating students based on race.
“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination,” said Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
“The agency has already launched Title VI investigations into institutions where widespread antisemitic harassment has been reported and Title IX investigations into entities which allegedly continue to allow sex discrimination; today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes.”
The group of 45 universities are allegedly tied to the PhD Project, a professional development organization for business PhD students from diverse backgrounds. High-profile universities among that group include Yale, Cornell, Duke, New York University, the University of Notre Dame, and Georgetown.
The PhD Project’s list of educational sponsorship resources for students and includes programs that award scholarships only to certain racial groups. Its most recent annual report covering fiscal year 2023 emphasized the importance of its mission given the challenges facing DEI and the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling barring educational institutions from race-based admissions policies. The group credits itself with helping to increase sixfold the number of academics and administrators from “underrepresented backgrounds” in colleges and universities.
“For the last 30 years, The PhD Project has worked to expand the pool of workplace talent by developing business school faculty who inspire, mentor, and support tomorrow’s leaders. Our vision is to create a broader talent pipeline of current and future business leaders who are committed to excellence and to each other, through networking, mentorship, and unique events,” the PhD Project said in a statement provided after publication.
“This year, we have opened our membership application to anyone who shares that vision. The PhD Project was founded with the goal of providing more role models in the front of business classrooms, which remains our goal today.”
The schools being investigated for race-based scholarships are Grand Valley State, Ithaca College, New England College of Optometry, the University of Alabama, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, University of South Florida, and the University of Oklahoma, Tulsa school of community medicine.
Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act is the basis of the Education Department’s investigations. The statute prohibits racial discrimination in federally funded programs. The Education Department is also investigating potential Title VI violations at 60 universities related to alleged antisemitic harassment against Jewish students following Hamas’s massacre on October 7, 2023.
DEI programs in universities and corporations often give preferences to certain demographic groups as part of a broader prioritization of identity over character or merit. President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order during the first week of his term ending DEI in the federal government and within federally funded institutions. He directed the Attorney General and Secretary of Education to issue guidance to all state educational agencies and institutions of higher education for compliance.
In February, the Education Department warned universities about potentially losing federal funding if they do not eliminate DEI programs that violate existing civil rights laws. The agency released further guidance at the start of the month responding to anticipated questions for universities seeking to comply.
Last weekend, the University of Virginia shuttered its DEI office to comply with the Trump administration’s guidance and other federal civil rights laws, potentially a sign of things to come.
This article has been updated to include the PhD Project’s statement.